NINJA VEGAS '18 MAKES ESPORTS HISTORY

APRIL 21, 2018 - Tyler “Ninja” Blevins broke his own single-streamer record on Twitch Saturday night while hosting Ninja Vegas ’18 at Esports Arena Las Vegas at Luxor Hotel & Casino. According to official analytics provided by Twitch, the stream on Ninja’s channel peaked at 644,815 concurrent viewers topping his previous record of over 628,000 viewers, which he reached last month while playing with musician Drake. The stream also amassed a total of 2.38 million unique video views over the course of the six-plus hour event.

“Esports Arena Las Vegas did such a great job with this event,” said Ninja during the final game of the night. “One million percent, this is the best event I’ve ever been a part of.” The sold-out event included 232 players from around the world who descended on Esports Arena Las Vegas to compete against Ninja with $50,000 on the line, including $2,500 for each win and $2,500 for knocking the host out of each game.

Over the course of nine intense matches, three competitors walked away with $7,500 each while seven additional players made it onto the scoreboard with at least $2,500. Ninja, who was victorious in Game 4, donated his winnings of $2,500 to the Alzheimer’s Association.

“Blind,” who won the first two matches, set the tone for the night when he became the first to take out Ninja. “Sneak E Beaver” stayed true to his tag, sniping Ninja two games in a row and winning a game of his own. Fourteen-year-old “4DRStormYT” became an instant crowd favorite when he defeated a fellow competitor to take Game 8. “Xarc4.TV” struck a windfall by taking out Ninja during the last game for the night’s largest bounty of $7,500, which included a $5,000 final game bonus. Full results are listed below.

While the competition was fierce, the spirit of camaraderie and sportsmanship was constant throughout each match. Lucky competitors chosen at random were selected to play on stage with Ninja and other featured players for each heat. The winners of each game were congratulated personally by Ninja during post-match interviews and the streaming superstar signed autographs late into the night following the event. Ninja also made a dream come true for an ill fan in attendance named Gage Haynes with a hug and dance on stage and a signed jersey.